1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus and, more particularly, to a portable electronic apparatus with an infrared communication function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, portable electronic apparatuses 21a and 21b such as portable information terminals and notebook type personal computers respectively comprise infrared emitting/receiving element sections 22a and 22b in the apparatus main bodies, as shown in FIG. 1. The portable electronic apparatuses 21a and 21b can perform communication (infrared communication) using infrared IR therebetween through the infrared emitting/receiving element sections 22a and 22b.
In a conventional portable electronic apparatus with an infrared communication function, an infrared emitting/receiving element section is fixed to the electronic apparatus main body. To perform infrared communication between portable electronic apparatuses, the infrared emitting/receiving element sections of the portable electronic apparatuses must face each other.
When, therefore, the direction or position of the portable electronic apparatus is not easily changed, e.g., when users who try to perform infrared communication therebetween in a conference do not sit facing each other, or when information is to be simultaneously transmitted to users, the infrared emitting/receiving element section of a given electronic apparatus must face the infrared emitting/receiving element section of a communication partner's electronic apparatus, resulting in an inconvenient operability.
On the other hand, a remote controller capable of changing the angle of its infrared emitting element in an air conditioner installed in a large room of, e.g., a building is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-134997.
The structure of this remote controller will be briefly described with reference to a longitudinal sectional view in FIG. 2. A light emitting device 8 of the remote controller comprises an arcuated outer covering portion 7 consisting of an infrared transmitting resin, and a grooved, arcuated guide portion 10. The light emitting device 8 of the remote controller is mounted on a wall 1 through an attachment surface 4.
An infrared emitting element 12 is conductively mounted on a sub-printed board 11. A coupling portion 6 engaged with one end side of a substantially L-shaped hook portion 5 integrally formed with a vertically slidable knob portion 13 is arranged on one end of the sub-printed board 11. The distal end of a support piece 3 extending perpendicularly from the other end side of the hook portion 5 holds the sub-printed board 11.
When, therefore, the knob portion 13 is manually operated in a space portion 2 before mounting, the infrared emitting element 12 is vertically slid. The remote controller can be mounted on the wall after the direction of the infrared emitting element 12 is adjusted to the direction of the air conditioner in advance.
In a wall-mounted remote controller having such a slidable infrared emitting element, the direction of the infrared emitting element 12 can be adjusted to the fixed air conditioner before mounting even if the knob portion 13 is arranged inside.
In a portable electronic apparatus, however, the direction of an infrared emitting element must be freely changeable because the position or direction of a communication partner's electronic apparatus is not always the same.
For this reason, the structure of an infrared emitting element capable of changing its direction only before mounting is not suitable for a portable electronic apparatus.